The viewpoint
Over the valleys.
Robsondig — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robsondig — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fernando Marino — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robsondig — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bruno Araújo — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jefferson Bernardino… — CC BY 3.0
Serra do Gandarela is a natural refuge about 40 km from Belo Horizonte in the heart of the «Iron Quadrangle», rich in iron ore. It became a national park on 13 October 2014 over about 31,000 hectares, after a long campaign by civic groups to protect it from mining, and spans eight municipalities, the largest shares in Santa Bárbara and Rio Acima. The park holds the largest intact remnant of Atlantic forest in Minas Gerais, rocky grassland over iron-rich «canga» crusts and more than a hundred caves, some of them archaeological sites. Its waters feed the das Velhas, Piracicaba and Doce rivers, and the das Velhas alone supplies more than 60 per cent of Belo Horizonte's water, so clean it needs little treatment. Entry to the park is free and its headquarters are in Rio Acima, from where you reach the Serra do Gandarela viewpoint and the Viana and Índio waterfalls, which lie on private land with entry and parking fees. The park sometimes runs free guided outings at weekends.
Over the valleys.
Viana and Índio.
The state's largest remnant.
Headquarters in Rio Acima, via the MG-030, about 40 km from Belo Horizonte
About 40 km, with headquarters in Rio Acima via the MG-030.